Finish 2016 and ring in 2017 with performances by the renowned flamenco company, Nocha Flamenca, where live music and principal dancer Soledad Barrio is a staple. From Dec. 26 to Jan. 28 at the West Park Presbyterian Church, the company will present new and critically acclaimed works, including “La Ronde” (Dec. 26-Jan. 7), inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s 1897 play, “La Ronde,” in a series of duets that explores desire, humiliation and loneliness and “Creación,” following the life journey of two female dancers in a fusion of flamenco and hip-hop. Select performances of “Creación” will feature hip-hop legend TweetBoogie, who alternates the role with Nubian Néné. Finally, and for the third time, “Antigona” Artistic Director Martín Santangelo’s adaptation of Sophocles’ “Antigone” returns Jan. 10-Jan. 28. For more information, visit www.nocheflamenca.com.
ALSO THIS MONTH
Jan. 5-12—American Realness, founded, directed and curated by Thomas Benjamin Snapp, now in a new home and under new leadership at Gibney Dance, returns for its eighth season. In eight days of programming, there are three categories to explore: Performance, Exibition and Process. Some of the featured artists are Will Rawls, Ni’Ja Whitson, Trajal Harrell and Cynthia Oliver. For more information, visit www.gibneydance.org.
Jan. 3-8—For the second annual American Dance Platform at The Joyce Theater, this year’s festival, curated by Alicia B. Adams, includes performances by Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre, RAWdance, Ragamala Dance Company, Company | E, Lucky Plush Productions, Davalois Fearon Dance, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and CONTRA-TIEMPO. For more information, visit www.joyce.org.
Jan. 5-8—The China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, under direction and choreography by Kong Dexin, a 77th-generation descendant of Confucius, will present the new dance drama, “Confucius,” “…a new dance which tells the story of the legendary scholar’s journey through the kingdoms of Zhou Dynasty China, and his quest to instill codes of ethics, honor and benevolence among the empire’s rulers,” according to the release. For more information, visit
www.davidhkochtheater.com.
Jan. 12-14—Chen Dance Center’s “newsteps,” the semiannual emerging choreographer’s series ,returns with choreographers chosen from an open audition by a panel of dance leaders. The 2017 lineup includes Seneca Lawrence, Christina Coleman, Evelyn Chen, Matilda Sakamoto and Rashida Lyles. For more information, visit
www.chendancecenter.org.
Jan. 14—Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to NJPAC for their annual MLK celebration. For the event, NJPAC will also host Embodying the Dream, celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through workshops and activities for children and their families. For more information, visit www.njpac.org.
Jan. 22—Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company comes to Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College for their fourth annual Lunar New Year Celebration of Chinese Culture, which commemorates the Year of the Rooster and features special guest artists from the Oriental Cultural Arts Performance Group of Hohot and Erosos from Inner Mongolia and China. For more, information visit
www.brookluncenter.org.
Jan. 24-Feb. 5—Under artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, for their 23rd season, Complexions Contemporary Ballet returns to The Joyce Theater with two programs of works by Rhoden, including the world premiere of “Gutter Glitter,” the New York premiere of “Star Dust,” repertory works and the launch of “The Collage Series,” an ongoing initiative created by Rhoden in which new works are presented “in a visual collage format that seeks to find the line of commonality within diverse elements,” notes the release. For more information, visit www.joyce.org.
Jan. 27-Feb. 5—The Thunderbird American Indian Dancers presents their 43rd concert and pow-pow at Theater for the New City. Featured will be dances, stories and traditional music from the Iroquois and native peoples of the Northeast, Southwest and Great Plains regions. All proceeds benefit the Native American scholarship fund. For more information, visit www.theaterforthenewcity.net.
Jan. 28-29—Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company returns to NJPAC as part of China’s Spring Festival with Year of the Rooster highlights, including dancing lions and dragons, sounds of Chinese traditional instruments (pipa and erhu and vibrant costumes and props. For more information, visit www.njpac.org.